The Original Trio
by TheBeautifulNerd
Summary: Before Lily leaves for Hong Kong, she and Ethan reflect on how much their lives have changed. One-shot.


**So, I kind of miss the Lily, Ethan and Cal trio, lol. I saw something on Facebook the other day that named them as "The Original Trio" of the ED, which I had to agree with. I just thought I'd write a small one-shot about them so I hope you enjoy it.**

Lily hadn't had the best first day at Holby City ED.

In fact, it had been a total disaster. All she was trying to do is be herself and make a good first impression, but she'd just ended up annoying everybody. Then her bike ended up being towed away, which was just the cherry on top of the icing really. She'd gone home and cried that night, not that she'd ever told anyone. Things seemed to get better over time and people slowly warmed to her, so she felt no need to tell anyone.

Ethan had been her first friend. He was the only one who understood her, the only one who was there for her, and the only guy she'd first fallen in love with. He may not have felt the same way, but they'd still remained friends and that had meant so much to her.

They weren't as close as they used to be now, not since Cal had died anyway. Things had changed between them, and Lily couldn't remember the last time that the two of them had spent some quality time together to just sit and talk.

It was the 4th November 2017, and Lily had four hours until her flight. She was sat in the local graveyard, allowing her hair to fly in the breeze, her black coat wrapped around her body to welcome in a bit of warmth. Cal's grave sat in front of her, sunlight shining down onto the stone to make it stand out from the others. She still couldn't get her head around his death. She used to walk through the doors of the ED, expecting to hear his voice, but of course she never did. It was weird, and it seemed as if the place had changed since his death. Everyone missed him. Of course they did.

She wiped away a tear from her eye, just as she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

"Can I join you?"

She turned and saw Ethan walking towards her. He looked happy to see her, at least she thought he did anyway.

"Of course," she said and patted the patch of grass next to her. "Sit."

"How is he?" Ethan asked and knelt beside her.

"What do you mean?" Lily questioned.

"Sorry." He shrugged his shoulders in embarrassment. "I usually ask how he's doing. Sorry, it's stupid."

"No." Lily shook her head. "It isn't stupid at all. I'm sure he's doing well though." She sighed heavily and turned her attention to him. "How are you doing? It's been a while."

"It has," Ethan sighed back. "I've been better, I suppose. The first year is always the hardest, right?"

Lily nodded and said, "I found that out when my father died." She tried to force a smile, before continuing. "I'm sorry, you know? Cal really didn't deserve to die. I never even got to apologise to him."

"You didn't have anything to apologise for," Ethan told her. "You and Cal just had totally different opinions on the protest." Lily didn't say anything to that. "I have to say sorry to you though, for what I said at Cal's funeral. I shouldn't have called you that. It was uncalled for, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lily said. "You were drunk and upset, so I forgive you."

"Thank you," Ethan said quietly, a small smile spreading across his face. "Are we still friends?"

"We will always be friends Ethan," Lily giggled. "You were my first friend, my best friend, my only friend. Even now, that still means so much to me."

"I can't believe that you're leaving," Ethan said. "I always thought that you'd be at the ED forever, but then I also thought that Cal would be at the ED forever."

"He still is, isn't he?" Lily asked. "He will always be with us, Ethan. And to be fair, I always thought that I would be here forever. Part of me doesn't even want to go. I can't leave Iain, or you."

"You've had an opportunity, Lily," Ethan told her. "You can't throw that away."

"I know," Lily said. "I haven't told anyone this Ethan, but I'm scared."

"Of what?" Ethan asked her, chuckling to himself slightly. "You're Lily Chao, aren't you? I didn't think you got scared of anything."

"It's silly." Lily shrugged her shoulders and turned her eyes back to Cal's grave. "I was born and raised in Hong Kong, so you wouldn't have thought it. What if I do badly at my job though? What if I don't make friends? What if it's all just a huge mistake?"

"You won't do badly, Lily," Ethan said. "You're a brilliant doctor, one of the best in fact. They wouldn't have chosen you if they didn't think you could do it. You're going to be great, trust me. I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you, Ethan," Lily said. Somehow his words made her feel better. "You will look after Iain for me, won't you? He may seem strong and tough on the outside, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and I don't know how he's going to cope."

"Don't worry. I'll look after him," Ethan promised. "But you can still keep in touch with us, you know? It may be harder, but it's still doable."

"I know," Lily said, a single tear rolling down one side of her face. "So much has changed, Ethan. It used to be us three, against the world, and now everything has changed. We're going our separate ways. Why do things have to change, eh?"

"I know what you mean," Ethan sighed. "I wish that we could just turn back time. I'd give anything to have Cal back with me. He was my only family and now I have my disease as well to worry about. I don't want to deal with that alone."

"You have Alicia," Lily said. "She will be there for you, and so will Mrs Beauchamp and everyone else at the ED. Like you said as well, we can always keep in touch. I'm just one phone call away."

"Thanks, Lily," Ethan said.

"You can always come here to talk to Cal as well," Lily said. "Like I told you before, he will always be here and I'm sure he'll be listening."

Ethan nodded and asked, "Do you think there was anything that I could have done to stop it?"

"No," Lily whispered and shook her head. "I honestly don't. You need to remember this though, he died for you. He wanted to protect you and look after you."

"If only I was brave enough to look after myself," Ethan said. "Then Cal would still be alive."

"But you are brave enough, Ethan," Lily said. "And I'm not just saying that either."

Ethan sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve, his eyes on Cal's grave. He forced a smile for Lily and rested his head against her shoulder, as she wrapped her arm around him.

"You don't have to leave straight away, do you?" He asked.

"Not quite," Lily answered him.

"Fancy a coffee before you go?" Ethan asked. "My treat."

"Sure," Lily said, as the two of them stood up from the wet and muddy grass. "Listen. No matter what happens, we will always be friends."

"I know," Ethan said, taking one more look at his brother's grave. "The original trio, yeah?"

"Of course," Lily said. "You, me, and Cal. Forever."

 **I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think x**


End file.
